Snape's lips thinned into a razor-fine line, but Dudley wasn't finished. He seemed determined to say something utterly shocking, and he succeeded.
His declaration hung in the air, making even the portraits on the walls seem to hold their breath. Snape's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. He had merely intended to criticize Gryffindor, and now this boy was dragging all four founders through the mud?
The sharp words, however, only deepened the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes. A small, intrigued smile touched his lips. "An audacious claim," he said, his voice calm. "Please, do explain why."
Dudley met the Headmaster's gaze without hesitation. "I've been at Hogwarts for several months now, and I believe I have a reasonable grasp of the four Houses. On the surface, we have the noble traits: Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the wise, Hufflepuff for the loyal, and Slytherin for the ambitious."
He paused, letting the official descriptions settle before continuing, his tone shifting. "But we also have the darker, more common interpretations: Gryffindor is full of reckless fools, Ravenclaw is home to rigid and inflexible bookworms, Hufflepuff is a dumping ground for the weak and mediocre, and Slytherin is a nest of future Dark Wizards."
He looked directly at Dumbledore. "Professor, is that truly how you see it?"
Dumbledore's smile didn't falter. "Is it not so?" he prompted, his interest clearly piqued. He leaned forward slightly, as if he already knew where this argument was headed and was eager to hear it articulated.
"Of course not," Dudley stated, shaking his head firmly. "The flaw in this system is fundamental. A very big one."
He began to pace slowly before the Headmaster's desk. "We know there are scoundrels in Gryffindor who have betrayed their friends for a sliver of glory, just as there are heroes from Slytherin who have defied Lord Voldemort's tyranny. Humans are profoundly complex creatures. We cannot be defined by a single trait chosen for us at the age of eleven. Our personalities evolve; a timid child can grow into a courageous adult. To sort children based on a single, fleeting impression of their character is not only fundamentally flawed, it defies the very nature of magic, which should be fluid and adaptable, not rigid. It's a system founded on neither sound logic nor sound magic."
"This is also why so many graduates feel out of place with their House identity later in life," he added.
"Let's take you as the primary example, Professor Dumbledore. By all accounts, you were a Gryffindor. Yet, I see none of the house's characteristic recklessness in you. Your mastery of Mermish and Gobbledegook, your groundbreaking work in alchemy alongside Nicolas Flamel, your discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood... these are the hallmarks of a Ravenclaw mind. And your historic defeat of Gellert Grindelwald was a feat of strategic brilliance, not just courage."
Dudley's internal thoughts went even further. Based on what I know, Dumbledore is a fusion of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The young Albus, who allied with Grindelwald in pursuit of a 'greater good', was brimming with ambition and cunning. If not for the tragic death of his sister, the wizarding world might be unrecognizable today. For better, or for worse, the great White Wizard we know would not exist.
"I think so too," Snape drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Perhaps his brain underwent some sort of mutation in his youth?"
Dumbledore ignored Snape entirely, instead winking at Dudley. "But I'm not rigid or inflexible, am I?"
Dudley's eyes lit up with a new line of inquiry. "The Sorting Hat... I assume that artifact is in your possession, Professor?"
Before Dumbledore could answer, a grumpy, aged voice echoed from a high shelf in the office. "Hey! Who are you calling an 'artifact,' you oversized lad? I am not an 'it' or a 'thing'! I am the great Sorting Hat, the one and only in the entire world!"
Dudley glanced toward the patched, ancient hat and offered a wry smile. "My apologies, Mr. Sorting Hat."
"...I feel like you're still insulting me," the Hat grumbled.
Dudley pressed on. "If I recall correctly from my own Sorting, you said you place students based on the qualities their hearts value, correct?"
"That's right," the Sorting Hat affirmed proudly. "I delve into the young wizard's own heart and mind!"
"So," Dudley concluded smoothly, "would it be fair to say that the Sorting process is not an infallible, absolute judgment?"
"Hey, now, that's a very rude way to put it," the Hat complained, but it offered no actual rebuttal. Its silence was an admission.
"If the judgment isn't absolute," Dudley said, turning back to Dumbledore, "then maintaining this division into four Houses is, frankly, foolish."
"One must consider the historical context," he continued, "The Founders created Hogwarts during an era of witch hunts. It was a sanctuary designed to protect magical bloodlines and pass down knowledge. But that was a thousand years ago. What was once a necessary fortress has become the premier magical school in Europe. It should have evolved beyond mere preservation."
"Clinging to this system now feels like stagnation, not heritage. The division itself breeds needless conflict. You can group students by academic discipline, but you cannot—and should not—group them by personality. That violates the very nature of personal growth and scholarship."
"The four Houses have meaning," Dumbledore murmured, his expression now more contemplative than amused. "There is hope that wizards will emerge who inherit the noble spirit of those four great founders."
Snape remained silent, a strange expression on his face. After months of teaching Dudley, he had already begun to see him not as a first-year, but as a peer—a seventh-year Lily Evans, at least where Potions was concerned. Why seventh-year? Because that's where his own memories of her ended.
"But how many students can truly live up to the legacy of a founder?" Dudley countered. "Most just want to learn magic and live peaceful lives. Have you not noticed, Professor? The atmosphere at Hogwarts is toxic, especially between the Houses."
"Take Gryffindor and Slytherin," Dudley said, driving his point home. "Their rivalry is legendary, and it's a major reason today's incident escalated. If I were a Gryffindor, my friend Hermione would have been ostracized for her personality—perhaps seen as an annoying know-it-all—but she would not have been bullied with such vitriol. The cruelty was amplified because she, a Gryffindor, dared to be close to me, a Slytherin."
"People obsess over the fact that Godric and Salazar parted ways over their ideals. They forget they were once brothers in arms, who trusted each other with their lives. The Sorting Hat itself may lament the state of Slytherin, but are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw truly any better?"
"And then there is Hufflepuff," he said, his voice softening with sympathy. "How many children arrive at this castle already dreading the possibility of being sorted there? Many equate the House with mediocrity, branding its members as talentless before they've even had a chance to prove themselves. In the unspoken Hogwarts hierarchy of contempt, Hufflepuff sits at the very bottom."
"Do these children arrive here already looking down on their peers? Or is it the system that teaches them to? Is Hufflepuff really so terrible?"
Dudley's gaze was sharp and clear. "No, it isn't. But the label poisons the well."
"As a matter of fact, I happen to know that Cedric Diggory, a third-year Hufflepuff, is widely considered the most talented and outstanding wizard in his entire year."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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